Naut
The Nauts are a semi aquatic species which evolved on the planet Hydro. They died out due to disease around 1600 CE. Biology They are a humanoid species possessing two arms, two legs, one head. However, their physiology is unique in that they possess both lungs and gills. They have webbed feet and hands and a smooth hydrodynamic body allowing them to achieve relatively high speeds when swimming under water. These traits make them perfectly adapted to living on both land and water. The Nauts as a species tend to have milky white skin on their front side while their backs are bluish gray providing natural camouflage when under water. Nauts come in all shapes and sizes. Your average male Naut is taller and has more muscle mass than the females. Male Nauts average height is around 6 feet four inches while female Nauts average height is around 5 feet, eight inches. Male Nauts have virtually no hair on their head. Instead they have three small fin like ridges sticking out the top of their heads. Male Nauts also have similar fin like structure’s coming out of their forearms. Female Nauts tend to have a smooth head with a single cluster of hair growing out the top. These strands of hair often grow to be several feet long and are often braided. All Nauts have long fingers with spike like appendages at the end. History The Naut home world was an earth like planet. The planet was 80% water with most of the land mass being taken up by one large Super Continent. Naut civilization developed both on the land and the sea. The Nauts build large under water cities suitable for their semi aquatic existence. These under water cities were often connected to floating cities built right on top of the ocean surface. Naut civilization was not limited to the water with many settlements created on dry land. However, early Naut civilization was unstable at best with entire cities being wiped out by plagues or wars. These wars shaped the political landscape of the Naut civilization and created the Empires that would ultimately struggle for control during the Great War. The war extended into the solar system with the warring powers struggle for control of space itself. Nuclear weapons were used for the first time. These weapons rained death upon the land with half a dozen cities disappearing in the blink of an eye. Upon seeing the unparalleled destruction, the nations around the planet vowed to throw down their weapons and end the fighting once and for all. A new planetary government was created uniting all the Nauts under one government. This heralded the beginning of an unparalleled period of peace and prosperity. Under the new government, the Nauts pursued the arts and sciences with a new vigor not seen before. The development of the Warp Drive allowed the Nauts to extend their civilization to the stars. Dozens of solar systems were colonized with the Nauts gaining a true interstellar empire. This period of peaceful exploration and expansion was suddenly cut short when the star orbited by Hydro went Super Nova destroying the Naut home world, killing billions and shattering the government. Everything the Nauts do is driven by their artistic nature. All Naut creations are considered works of art. Every building, every ship, every piece of furniture has its own unique flare to it. The Nauts prefer smooth flowing organic shapes rather than stark lines and angles. This is perfectly demonstrated by their space ship construction. While the Nauts designate ships within classes much like humans, it is common for no ship in the class to be exactly like the other. For example, a ship might be a foot longer or shorter than its sisters or have an ornate design engraved into the hull plating. Even minor differences like the length of a communications antennae are considered important artistic statements by the designers and ship builders. The Nauts do have a healthy respect for mass produced items but one will often find each item being individualized by the people who purchase them. The Nauts also value natural beauty. Their love of smooth lines can be traced to their origin’s in the sea. Naut existence has always been tied to the ocean. Much of their art reflects this with bright colors mixing in with smooth lines and organic shapes. The Nauts who demonstrate master seaman ship are often among the most respected Nauts. Accomplished sailors, merchantmen, fisherman and fighting sailors all have places of honor in Naut history and legend. Traits common and desirable in these professions are taught to all Nauts at a very early age. Courage, honor, determination, sense of duty, and moral conduct are all essential for a Nauts life. It is somewhat ironic then that the Naut civilization has experienced wars that make many human wars look like a simple bar brawl. It is perhaps because Nauts are not easily dissuaded from a course of action once they determine it is the correct one. This determination common to all Nauts often borderlines stubbornness. Even if the cause is doomed, a Naut will continue to fight for that cause as long as they feel it is right or just. This sense of higher morality and justice is also important to a Nauts life. Despite the horrible wars fought throughout Naut history, such evils like genocide, slavery and oppression are virtually non existent throughout Naut history. When the home world was destroyed, panic and chaos broke out on many colony worlds. Planetary governments tried to assure their people that everything would be alright but local police forces were overwhelmed by the riots and panic. Hoping to restore order, a former Naut General rallied military forces to his cause and declared martial law on the planet Guylos. Troops were sent in and order was restored. The General then declared himself Emperor. Unlike most rulers throughout history, the General did not seek power for himself. His goal was to guarantee the safety of the Naut people. He established a civilian government called the Imperial Senate. The senate assumed many powers essentially creating a democracy within an Empire. Many of the surrounding planets flocked to this new government in order to gain the support of the Empires resources. As it stands, the Empire is comprised of 12 different solar systems with roughly 6 billion people between them. The Republic of Emmeria is an interplanetary government formed after the destruction of the Naut home world. It began as an alliance intended to provide disaster relief for the survivors of the super nova. The planet Reach began and outreach program to bring in as many planets as they could to support each other. This alliance consisted of 5 solar systems and roughly 2 billion people with 1 billion of those living on Reach itself. Reach eventually became the center of the alliance and evolved into the Capital of the new interplanetary government. The Belkan Federation is a conglomerate of corporate entities which seized direct control of their planets after the destruction of Hydro. The planets are ruled by a civilian senate but members of this senate are paid off by the corporations on the planet. The Federation controls only two solar systems but these systems are rich with resources. The Federation is also quick to sell these resources to both the Empire and Republic. The Federation only has a small military force consisting of corporate security forces. However, they have an extensive intelligence agency which uses subterfuge to undermine the efforts of the Empire and Republic. The Federation only appears interested in profiting off the ongoing conflict between the Republic and Empire. Category:Sapient Species